


Who Are These Foreign Ghosts?

by SereneSorrow



Category: Bleach, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Dimension Travel, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:02:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25748593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SereneSorrow/pseuds/SereneSorrow
Summary: The Sunshot Campaign ends on a different note, with the arrival of a new threat to the cultivation world, a new kind of ghost.The world descends into terror quickly, as the Cultivation Sects are the only protectors who can make any difference at all, but it isn't enough.The arrival of a savior with firsthand knowledge of this new threat is a balm to Lan Xichen's soul.Although, perhaps Lan Xichen has taken too much of an interest in the elegant stranger from another world...
Relationships: Kuchiki Byakuya/Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén
Comments: 3
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue inside < < here > > is in Japanese and just nonsense to the listeners.
> 
> and the perspective changes constantly, so there aren't any page breaks, but I was trying to start off this story by staying closer to the scene that everything diverges from, then from chapter 2 and onward it will be more clearly Lan Xichen and Kuchiki Byakuya's story.

Wen Ruohan scowled out over the battlefield below him as his puppets were cut down by the allied cultivators. The Yin Iron spun lazily through the air above a volcanic vent in front of him, all four pieces thrumming with power. The puppets responded to his use of the Iron, rising again and converting their opponents to puppets as well, but still there were dozens of cultivators and more who refused to fall. So be it, there was one more method that he intended to utilize.

Lan Wangji blocked a puppet's blade as it descended toward Wei Ying, wishing again that the other man had at least brought a sword with him instead of just that tainted flute. Behind him, Wei Ying stepped back to give him more room to dispatch the puppet, when they both as well as every other cultivator present felt the dark energy of the Yin Iron grow. He turned to the steps as soon as he had dealt with the next puppet, just in time to see the tainted energy around the Yin Iron shards billow out in the glow of the lava that lit it from below.

“This feels familiar.” Wei Wuxian muttered, and Lan Zhan glanced aside at him.

Wei Wuxian was entirely focused on the Yin Iron, not even noticing Wen Ruohan's speech or the way Lan Zhan was watching him. He knew that he had felt this particular flavor of demonic energy before, he just didn't immediately know how to place the sense he was getting of it.

“You've dealt with my soldiers, and you may even survive my puppets, but there's one thing that even you recalcitrant cultivators can't so easily defeat!” Wen Ruohan told the assembled allies as several of them, primarily their leaders, stopped fighting in order to watch him.

His son had discovered the Tortoise of Slaughter was dead, but that creature had come from somewhere and another could be summoned by his will through the Yin Iron. Gathering a great amount of his spiritual energy, Wen Ruohan bid the Yin Iron to follow his will, and bring forth a new Beast of Slaughter. He felt the dark energy flow through his body in a rush of twisted satisfaction and the Yin Iron pulsed with his intent. Before the eyes of his enemies the demonic spiritual energy doubled in size again and again, spreading out over the magma vent below it and glowing red from within.

Before long a form rose from the cloud, a beastly form obscured by the cloud of energy towered over him as it thrashed in the darkness, and then a roar split the air. A roar that grated along the senses and made every cultivator's core shudder as the beast's screeching tone made it's intention clear.

“What is that thing?” Jiang Cheng asked, not far from him Lan Xichen pressed his lips together silently without answer.

“A Beast of Slaughter.” Wei Wuxian said, finally recognizing the same sense he'd gotten from the Tortoise of Slaughter. Wei Wuxian had never really determined where the Tortoise had come from, but he knew without a doubt that this beast was in the same league, whatever it was.

Several young cultivators died to the puppets blades while they were distracted by the beast still obscured by the cloud of demonic spiritual energy, and Lan Wangji quickly cut through several more of the puppets, but he was distracted by Wei Ying moving not toward where the rest of their allies were forming up for safety but toward the stairs that led up to the beast and Wen Ruohan.

“Wei Ying!” Lan Wangji called, but Wei Wuxian barely heard him as he tightened his grip on Chenqing.

“What is he doing?” Jiang Cheng demanded when Lan Wangji had joined his brother among their allies.

“Don't know.” Lan Wangji said, eyes following Wei Ying as he climbed up the stairs around the beast, just as it stepped out of the black cloud.

The Beast of Slaughter was as large as Lan Wangji remembered the Tortoise of Slaughter being, but it looked completely different. It had four legs but the front two were more like arms, longer than the back legs, and it was covered in shaggy green fur. There was a huge shell of bone over its head making it's face pure white and mask-like, with eyes that glowed from it's sockets. The most startling thing about the beast was the perfectly circular hole through the middle of its lower chest, that looked large enough for a man to fit though.

As soon as the creature was revealed it roared again, its huge mask-bone-teeth opening wide and releasing the grating sound that terrified several of the cultivators. Lan Wangji had never seen or heard of a creature like this, and had no idea what its weak points may be.

“Wangji. Do you know if Wei Wuxian has a plan?” Lan Xichen asked his younger brother, observing the beast himself and unsure if they could defeat such a thing, despite knowing that his brother and Wei Wuxian had killed the Tortoise of Slaughter.

“Don't know.” Lan Wangji repeated, reassuring himself with his grip on his blade that he would do his best to destroy the demonic creature.

At the top of the steps, Wei Wuxian watched from behind the beast's shoulder as it took a first step toward the cultivators below. He wasn't sure if he could do anything to control the beast that Wen Ruohan had summoned, but he needed to try. Lifting Chenqing to his lips he began playing, even as Wen Ruohan gloated over the beast's bloodthirstiness.

Lan Wangji and the rest of the cultivators heard the song drifting over the battlefield but were too busy to see if it was having any effect. They stayed together in groups as they spread out around the Beast of Slaughter, weaker cultivators keeping the remaining puppets off of the stronger cultivators who began attacking the Beast of Slaughter one by one. Most of their cuts seemed to bounce right off of the beast's skin, their blades having no effect, but Lan Wangji managed to distract the beast with his own strike well enough that his brother managed to cut all the way through one of the beast's arms.

Many of the cultivators watched with wide eyes, and Jiang Cheng almost cheered, but before they could celebrate over finding a weakness in the beast they saw that its arm was regrowing. Jiang Cheng cursed internally, preparing for his own strike against the beast, when the demonic spiritual energy that Wei Wuxian was manipulating suddenly infected the beast. The creature halted, and they all breathed a sigh of relief before Jiang Cheng struck it anyway, still searching for a way to destroy it.

The Beast of Slaughter let out another roar, even louder than the first, and threw it's head back. Both arms swung out and made the cultivators step hastily back and away from it, and then the spiritual energy Wei Wuxian had used to control it was forced out of it's body and they were fighting the beast frantically again.

Wei Wuxian gasped as his control was broken so easily by the beast, and had to lower his flute to catch his breath. The demonic spiritual energy still surrounded him, and made it harder for him to think of what he could attempt next, when his attention was caught by the Yin Iron still hovering before the satisfied Wen Ruohan. Something was different about the demonic tool, the way it spun in the air was almost mesmerizing and Wei Wuxian couldn't quite blink as he stared at it. As he watched, the dark spiritual energy whirling around the Yin Iron where it floated above the ground coalesced and grew larger, spreading out in a huge cloud over the battlefield below.

Lan Xichen ducked another blow of the Beast's massive fist, heart beginning to pound from the exertion of fighting, when he noticed the dark cloud of demonic spiritual energy creeping across the ground and around all of their feet. His eyes widened with worry, but he didn't feel much more than a sense of despair, the energy wasn't attempting to infect him. Around him the other cultivators could barely spare a second glance at the dark cloud, too busy with the puppets and the Beast of Slaughter to comment on the disturbing spread of spiritual energy.

Jiang Cheng grunted as the beast's fist knocked him back several feet, and his vision was obscured by black as he landed on the ground. Startled by the overwhelming sense of despair he scrambled up and saw the black cloud that had surrounded everyone on the battlefield. It remained there as it swirled around their feet and then it rose high above everyone's heads and in no way obscured their vision or restricted their movements, much to the surprise of every cultivator present. Jiang Cheng scowled but pushed forward again, determined to find a way to damage that hulking beast.

Wen Ruohan leaned forward in surprise as the Yin Iron's energy spread over the battlefield, not something that he had manipulated it to do. He had no sense of what the Iron was doing now, and his control of the Yin Iron still felt complete, but when he attempted to halt its progress nothing happened. No, instead of halting the cloud expanded upward and then rose in it's entirety to hover ten feet above the heads of the two men standing here at the top of the stairs.

“What is this? What is it doing?” Wen Ruohan demanded, turning his fury on Wei Wuxian, the brash young demonic cultivator that stood only feet away from him.

“I don't know!” Wei Wuxian insisted, nervously observing the four pieces of the Iron as they continued to produce so much of the strange smoke that now funneled upwards.

It looked almost solid now as it darkened the sky above the cultivators even further. Every man among them was by now watching nervously with at least one eye when the black cloud above suddenly began bulging in strange ways and large drips fell from the darkness to splatter against the ground. The crowd of cultivators as well as Wen Rouhan himself could only stare in shock for a moment when the black drops rose up from the ground in large monstrous forms, taking on dull colors and revealing grim white masked faces.

There were more of them! Lan Zichen's eyes were wide with shock as dozens of the Beasts of Slaughter, all taking on forms different from the last, rose up from the ground. They each roared in that terrible screeching tone and the symphony was blood chilling. They were surrounded now, and as they backed closer and closer together they fought ferociously, more like bandits than cultivators as they slashed limbs off of the beasts only to gain a brief respite from the still growing horde. Lan Zichen was in no position to do anything when one of the beasts raised a screaming cultivator in Jin colors to it's mouth and tossed the man between its massive teeth. The scream cut off as the beast chewed, terrifying them all, and Lan Zichen could barely look at the sight as the beast spit out the broken body with a grumble that could almost be identified as discontent. This happened again and again, their numbers dwindling as the Beasts of Slaughter appeared to eat cultivators and puppets alike, and Lan Zichen found himself fighting back to back with his brother as the beasts loomed over them all.

Wei Wuxian didn't know what to do, or how to stop the Beasts of Slaughter, but he did know that the Yin Iron was still under Wen Ruohan's control. He turned to the older cultivator, and wished for not the first time that he had continued to carry a sword after all. What he wouldn't give right now for the ability to run the man thorough with a blade. Lan Zhan was down there fighting for his life and there was nothing that Wei Wuxian could do to help him! He had to think of something.

“Stop this! No one can fight those beasts, you can't even control them!” He yelled at Wen Ruohan.

“Stop? When your army is dead perhaps.” Wen Ruohan had come to terms with the Yin Iron's defiance of his control, his enemies were being slaughtered, that was the most important thing.

“Who will be able to stop the beasts if every cultivator but you is dead?” Wei Wuxian demanded, fear flooding through him at the idea of Lan Zhan falling because of one of those beasts.

“You can die with them you insolent boy!” Wen Ruohan snapped suddenly, one hand thrust out toward him and Wei Wuxian suddenly felt the pull of spiritual energy dragging him into Wen Ruohan's grip.

Most of the surviving cultivators were too busy fighting for their lives to notice as the cloud again disgorged another form, this one much smaller than it's predecessors as it took a human shape. He was dressed all in white with a sword on his hip and vibrant hair, of a color seen only in birds and fish, with strange frames on his face around his eyes. The man stood observing them curiously, eyes taking in the fighting arrangements beneath his feet.

Wei Wuxian choked as he tried to pry Wen Ruohan's hand off of his throat, desperate to find some way to take control of the Yin Iron and stop the Beasts of Slaughter, when suddenly a blade thrust through Wen Ruohan's chest. As Wei Wuxian dropped back to his feet and coughed he caught sight of Nie Mingjue hunched over and gasping for breath, blood on his chin as he stood over Wen Ruohan's corpse with the Wen Sect Leader's blood on his blade. Wide eyed, Wei Wuxian paused for a moment before turning to the Yin Iron. His eyes were drawn above the cloud of demonic spiritual energy to the figure standing freely in the air, without even the use of a sword.

Dragging his attention away from the strange man, Wei Wuxian reached for the Yin Iron, despite Nie Mingjue's protests. He could feel the tool, and the immense demonic spiritual energy, it was far more than he could control for any length of time but he could at least stop what it was doing now with a brief moment of control. The screaming that he had become so accustomed to was almost muted by the screams he heard within the Yin Iron and its cloud of spiritual energy, and Wei Wuxian struggled toward the four pieces, finally forcing his hands between them as they circled. It took all of his remaining strength to pry them apart, breaking them away from the cloud they had expelled and knocking each one to four distant points many feet away from each other. They hovered lower over the ground, and the screaming disappeared slowly, but Wei Wuxian barely noticed the decent of silence as he fell to the ground.

Nie Mingjue watched the heretical Wei Wuxian pry the Yin Iron pieces apart, reluctantly grateful to find that the young man was trying to stop the horrific beasts that he could see below them instead of simply taking over control from Wen Ruohan. When Wei Wuxian fell there was nothing he could do, he could barely move after what he had pushed his wounded body through just to kill the Wen Sect Leader. Everything at the top of the stairs was still now though, and Nie Mingjue looked back to the battle below. The cloud of darkness covering the field was dissipating and allowing more light to reach through to the combatants, but he could see that the cultivators were losing badly. Something about the beast's behavior though, made him think them dissatisfied with what was happening.

< < Fascinating. Absolutely incredible. > > A voice said in a language he didn't know, and Nie Mingjue craned his head back to see a man _just standing there_ in the air, his blade still sheathed at his hip.

< < It's almost as though they aren't edible, I wonder what's wrong with their souls? They clearly have spirit energy but something about it... > > The bright haired man said to himself, and Nie Mingjue was furious that he didn't understand.

The man was dressed all in white, but of a strange style that immediately discounted the possibility of his being a member of the Gusu Lan Sect. The way he watched the battle below reminded Nie Mingjue of men who thought little of the people around them and he didn't like wondering what this man was going to do. There was a sense of spiritual energy to the man, he realized suddenly, that was subtle but still possessed the same qualities as the taint of demonic cultivation. A demonic cultivator, but a strange one who had appeared from nowhere, was Nie Mingjue's thought as his wounds finally brought him to his knees.

The Beasts of Slaughter were slowing in their attack, their heads twisting around as though they were men, wondering where they were all of a sudden. The dozen or so cultivators remaining in the midst of the battlefield backed into a circle, wary of the beasts as they began spreading farther out. Lan Wangji's attention was drawn back to the height of the steps as he used the opportunity to search for Wei Ying, and he froze at the sight of Wei Ying collapsed against the ground. He barely noticed Nie Mingjue propping himself up with his sword beside the body of Wen Ruohan, his eyes only seeing Wei Ying.

< < Alright, enough's enough! You lot aren't getting a meal out of these strange souls, and I doubt you'll find anything better nearby! > > An unknown voice called out over their heads.

The cultivators all looked up in shock at the man speaking in a foreign tongue. He was standing in the air without a sword beneath his feet, and there was a smile on his face. They quickly realized that the man wasn't talking to them however, when one of the beasts who had also turned to the man spoke in the strange language as well.

< < Espada? What is this, where are we? > >

< < Where are there souls to eat then? I'm hungry! > >

< < Who knows, but I'm sure I'll think of something before I starve to death. > > The bright haired man said in response to the beasts, and then turned, walking through the air as easily as though he was on the ground.

The beasts around them grumbled in nearly _human_ voices before following the man, completely ignoring the remaining cultivators, who exchanged looks of shock as the beasts climbed into the air as well and then all disappeared with speed. The cultivators were frozen for a moment, before Lan Xichen took action, sheathing his sword and beginning to check on the nearest dead. The rest of the survivors followed his example, though Lan Wangji immediately made for the steps toward Wei Wuxian.

The cultivators who survived the Sunshot Campaign and its strange ending, of which there were more than expected, were hard pressed to detail the beasts and their new master for the leaders of their Sects. The four clans of Jin, Lan, Nie and Jiang remained allied as word of the beasts attempts to prey on towns and travelers throughout the land began to trickle in. Something about the way the beasts had attempted to devour the cultivators during the battle had caused many of them no injury, it was the gnashing teeth and fall to the ground that had killed most of them. The survivors only remembered feeling despair and ravenous hunger before they had fallen unconscious from an unpleasant draining tug in their golden cores. Wei Wuxian didn't have any way to explain it, whatever the beasts were they seemed to be nothing like the Tortoise of Slaughter after all. He had less experience of the beasts than their near victims did, and was at a complete loss when Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangshan demanded explanations.

“I don't know what they are, Clan Leader Nie says that the bright haired man felt like a demonic cultivator but I think he felt more like those beasts did, and they _did_ feel like the Tortoise of Slaughter even if they aren't so similar after all.” Wei Wuxian said to Jiang Cheng as they sat in one of the dreary stone courtyards within the Unclean Realm with Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen.

“So then how are we going to protect people from them? They aren't fierce corpses, imps, demons, ghosts or monsters, we've tried countermeasures for all of them!” Jiang Cheng demanded.

“We've all tried everything that we could think of, and several things that were invented on the spot. Nothing is able to dispel, repel, kill or lay to rest these creatures.” Lan Xichen said more calmly.

Lan Xichen was upset by their lack of progress as well, but there was nothing that getting overly emotional would acomplish. He had been in meetings with the sect leaders again and again but no solid plans had yet been formed. Without any way to stop these beasts the only thing the sects could do was place Spirit-Repelling Talisman's around their sects and any town they were called to as thoroughly as they could. In a twisted sense, the beasts took care of themselves, as once they had attempted to eat one or two people and found that they couldn't do so in whatever demonic manner they expected the beasts would lose interest and leave, unless they were enraged by the acts of their victims families into rampaging through towns.

“What are we supposed to do then?” Jiang Cheng demanded again of the small group. “What's going to happen to the world if we can't find a way to stop these beasts?”

The three men around him didn't know either, so there was no answer to his questions, just silence as they all contemplated their situation. They would just have to keep trying, to keep coming up with new possibilities, there was nothing else they _could_ do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ack. So I had the idea for this story back on December 14, 2019... took me forever to get any of it written... Chapter 2 will be posted on September 6, but I haven't written any farther than that yet... I CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH REGULAR UPDATES.
> 
> So I THINK that it will be 4 chapters, but I thought it would be 3 chapters before Chapter 2 reached the same length as Chapter 1 and didn't even cover half of what I'd thought it would yet, so it's possible that either the chapters may get longer or the chapter count may go up, but we'll see.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm splitting Lan Sizhui and Wen Yuan into two characters, because I don't like making up too many oc's and I wound up with 4 named oc's anyway, so don't be confused when you see the two doing separate things.
> 
> Reminder, text in < < here > > is Japanese, which the Chinese characters don't understand.
> 
> So, since Hollows usually have names, I decided to name one in Chinese, it's basic and probably inaccurate, but in the end notes you can see all the translations I tried to chose from.

16 Years Later

The forest in the area surrounding Gusu was populated by close growing trees, and bushes spaced tightly together which made it difficult to traverse once a traveler had left the road. Ordinarily this was a blessing as the obstruction kept most wayward spirits, ghosts, fierce corpses, or other undead terrors from encroaching on the road, however on this night it was a curse, as the travelers were the ones who were struggling through the woods in the resentment steeped darkness.

Howling echoed through the close trees, startling the lot of them into fear as the by now familiar cry of the Beasts of Slaughter announced the presence of the ravenous threat among them. The crashing of large creatures through the trees reached every ear and the young ones all turned to him in fear.

This was meant to be an easy assignment, the forests along this side of the city had been cleared by Master Lan Zhi's senior class of students over the last week and warded to make sure that only a few weak fierce corpses would be out and about for Lan Xichen's much younger class. Something must have gone wrong with the wards, this wasn't cleared. There shouldn't have been any Beasts of Slaughter nearby, but he didn't have time to dwell on the error when his students were in imminent danger. Lan Xichen hushed the group of eight students and hurriedly turned them back toward the city, their first practical Night Hunt cut short as the unkillable Beasts of Slaughter made their presence known.

“Start walking, back the way we came. You all remember the way. Just keep going back toward Gusu, no matter what happens.” Lan Xichen reminded the students as calmly as he could, unfortunately it was the standard order after so many years, they couldn't kill the Beasts of Slaughter so they needed as many cultivators as possible to survive every encounter.

The group rushed out in front of him as he lagged behind, keeping an eye out for the Beasts that he could hear behind them, but in the dark, close growing forest it was impossible to see exactly where the Beasts of Slaughter were. Drawing his own blade, Shuoyue, Lan Xichen tried to identify just where the howling was coming from as he prepared himself to fight. He stayed behind his students as Lan Jingyi led the way back to the road, their slow progress making him sweat nervously.

Lan Jingyi suddenly shrieked, as a beast lept out of the trees ahead of them all, having circled around ahead of them and blocked off their return to the main road. It's long, flexible body would have been too dark to see in the night if it wasn't moving, but the sharp beak of it's bone white face flashed in what little light there was.

None of the Beasts ever looked the same, they were identifiable by their individual appearances, and Lan Xichen recognized this one as Shé Xíng Niǎo. It had been approaching Gusu off and on for several years now and had been the subject of many attempts by Wei Wuxian to finally suppress or kill the Beasts, all to no success. Lan Xichen didn't think that tonight was the night Shé Xíng Niǎo would die, and his grip on Shuoyue tightened with his despair.

“Everyone behind me, eyes in all directions, don't panic.” Lan Xichen directed the children, tamping down on the instinctual fear that filled him as the howling drew nearer behind him even as he stepped between the children and the present threat.

He was an experienced cultivator and he had to look like one for the students. They were only about fifteen years old on average, and still gaining confidence in their own ability to fight and to protect themselves. They needed a strong example, and their Sect Leader, a grown man twice their age needed to be that example.

Behind him, Lan Jingyi and Wen Yuan led the rest of their class to stand in a circle and draw their swords, an attempt to keep watch in the dark woods. Feeling proud of his disciples for listening well, Lan Xichen only hoped that they would be able to make it back to Gusu without the Beasts getting any of them.

< < Snacks! These little bites will do alright! > >

< < Who gets the big one? I want 'im! > >

The strange, foreign garble of the Beasts grated across all of their nerves, and Lan Xichen wished not for the first time that the Beasts of Slaughter were without language. He was rather certain that he didn't want to know what they were saying as they surrounded their prey.

< < I'm in charge! I get the big one! > >

< < Who say's you're in charge? > >

Lan Jingyi tried to keep his fellow students together, but then the Beasts of Slaughter burst out of the trees, big dark green and purple skinned monsters with their giant white faces lunging at them with mouths open wide to devour them all. Lan Bai shrieked and broke the circle, running in the direction of the road around the side of the Beast that Lan Xichen was trying to hold back. One of the Beasts howled and lept high over the rest of the group, and when they were distracted with following its path with their eyes another Beast lunged for the rest of them.

< < Szayelappporo-sama made me leader when he gave us the ability to eat these transient souls! > >

Lan Jingyi felt his own blade knocked aside easily by the Beast's huge arm, the blade ringing and his arm trembling from the weight behind the blow. He fell to the ground and scrambled up, finding himself face to face with another of the Beasts, it's white face reflecting the moonlight and it's massive teeth snapping toward him. Stumbling away, he found himself between another clump of narrow trees all alone. He'd been separated from the rest of the group and was just trying to stay out of the reach of the Beast's claws, each the size of a grown man's body.

Bracing his blade against the thick hide of the Beast before him, Lan Xichen held his ground while the students scattered. Lan Jingyi disappeared between a few more thickly growing trees and Wen Yuan was attempting to lead two others toward the road so that at least they might flee in the right direction, back toward Gusu. Lan Xichen didn't have time to keep watching the children, no matter how worried he was, the Beast flung him aside hard enough to throw him against a tree and he stumbled in keeping his feet, his blade barely coming up in time to block the beast again.

Lan Sizhui found himself alone in the woods, only a few li outside of his home of Gusu, breathing hard as he ran for his life and hoped that he wasn't about to die. His sword felt heavy, useless because their swords were always useless against the Beasts of Slaughter. Everyone knew that even if you were strong enough to cut into one of the Beasts it didn't matter, they couldn't be killed. The only way to survive was to be behind a barrier or to run until they found someone else to eat.

The scream died in his throat as Lan Sizhui was grabbed around the waist and lifted him into the trees. It was a tail, the Beast of Slaughter that Senior Wei called Shé Xíng Niǎo was reeling him in where it perched in the tree branches, it's burning red eyes glowing through the eye holes of its birdlike mask while its mouth opened as it was already expecting to eat him. Lan Sizhui raised his sword and slashed down at the tail around him, shocked when after an initial resistance the tail was severed and he dropped to the ground.

Dazed by the fall, he was overwhelmed by the shriek of pain and rage from Shé Xíng Niǎo as it thrashed in the trees and then launched itself at him. The tail still wrapped around him fell away and Lan Sizhui tried to get out of the way, but he wasn't going to make it in time. Suddenly Lan Xichen lept out of the trees beside the Beast and struck it with his own sword. Lan Sizhui got to his feet and darted away from the Beast and his teacher, running blindly toward where he thought he remembered the road would be.

Wen Yuan kept a hold on Lan Chang's sleeve with one hand as they struggled through the low bushes, the Beast of Slaughter was stalking them, running along parallel to the road so that they couldn't get to it themselves. Panting hard with exertion, Wen Yuan realized that it was playing with them, the Beasts were stronger than disciples with their experience and somehow it knew that they were easy prey. In the dark, with the gnarled trees clawing at them as much as the Beasts, their own home's woods had become a terrifying place.

Stumbling through the trees, with one of the Beasts right on his heels, Lan Jingyi nearly collided with three other disciples where they were backed up against a tree. He didn't see any of the Beasts around them, but they may have been hiding, they were all drafted disciples who didn't actually want to be cultivators and Lan Jingyi knew that they weren't as skilled as they could have been.

“What-” Before Lan Jingyi could ask, the Beast behind him slammed into the two trees he'd darted through, getting stuck against the thicker trunks.

Lan Sizhui heard the thrashing up ahead but there was more crashing to his right and howling behind him. He was driven into the same small clearing that four other disciples had been collected in, and was followed by Wen Yuan and the two other disciples from their own Lan Clan crashed in next, and all eight of them found themselves in a circle again, trembling arms all trying to raise their swords against the three Beasts.

Trying to keep the circling Beasts at a distance, they were backed up against a stand of trees, each of them just short of panicking until Lan Xichen reappeared among them, slicing the limb off of one of the Beasts and making another Beast startle back with a swipe toward its face.

Lan Xichen didn't know what to do. They'd been neatly herded through the woods, and were no closer to an escape route back to Gusu than they'd been when they'd reacted to the first howls. The flare he'd sent up should have been seen easily and yet no backup had come, and he was tiring fast but still had his eight disciples to protect. Breathing hard, he felt a cramp in his chest that he didn't have enough spiritual energy to spare in order to sooth away.

Just when Lan Xichen thought that he might lose hope as well, that there was no way that he would be able to save the disciples, there was a new presence in the woods. Suddenly, a form dropped into their midst, a man with long black hair garbed in a loose white outer robe that hung entirely open in the front over the rest of his black robes. The outer robe was decorated with unfamiliar characters on the back and a large diamond pattern along the bottom hem, none of which made any sense to Lan Xichen. The man held a sword drawn from a sheath belted at his hip and with swift steps he was between one of the Beasts of Slaughter and Lan Xichen's disciples.

< < Shinigami! > > Several of the Beasts shouted a single word suddenly as they reacted to the newcomer.

Lan Xichen couldn't spare any attention from the Beast that was bearing down on his blade, but Lan Jingyi and the other students saw the man raise his blade vertically in front of him unhurriedly even as the Beast of Slaughter shrieked and lunged toward him with increased speed. Lan Xichen didn't know if the man was some sort of wandering cultivator or what, but he didn't feel any resentful energy from the man, and could only hope that the man would survive his attempt to aid them.

< < Chire, Senbonzakura. > > The words were spoken in a gentle but curt voice, and in a foreign tongue, and then the blade in the stranger's hand disintegrated into small flakes of pink light.

The lights danced through the air around him for the briefest moment and then scattered in a flood, bypassing the Lan disciples and seeming to solely target all four of the vengeful spirit creatures. Particularly they were aiming for their white bone faces.

< < Get away! He's a captain! > >

< < Tell Szayelapporo-sama! > >

The Beasts were screeching again, their attacks now disregarding the cultivators. Shé Xíng Niǎo, who's long tail was regrown now, lept into the air and revealed wings but the pink lights pursued it too. Each of the Beasts of Slaughter darted in opposite directions, abandoning their prey and attempting to flee but the stranger's weapon aimed for them all and cut off their escape as they howled and spoke in that same foreign tongue they were known for.

As the pink shards sank deep into the bones covering their faces the creatures shrieked and thrashed, but somehow unlike any attempt made by the cultivators this blow proved to be fatal, as the creatures disintegrated into black drops that evaporated into the air. Lan Xichen watched with a feeling of great relief as the creatures numbers decreased and his disciples were saved.

As the last remnants of the Beasts of Slaughter disintegrated small lights remained behind, hundreds of them. The lights swirled around each other, beginning to merge into single forms again and take on a darkened cast as they rose higher in the air, worrying Lan Xichen with the idea that the creatures could regrow their bodies as Shé Xíng Niǎo had it's tail. The blueish-white lights did begin to take shapes but the pink shards raked through them again to scatter them before Lan Xichen could do more than step back toward his disciples.

The disciples gathered closer to him as the stranger pulled something out of the folds of his clothing and glanced down at it, and then they watched in wonder as what seemed to be a flock of black butterflies swarmed out of the trees and into the swirling lights, collecting the largest of the lights as they went. Each butterfly carried at least one of the lights with its small feet, and flew off into the trees again where they vanished from sight, the lights winking out with distance. Several of the lights simply vanished, especially the smallest ones, but more of them simply remained behind and now floated freely in the air to no apparent purpose.

Turning to them, the stranger's hair and clothing danced in the same breeze that carried the pink petals of light back to him, where they returned to the form of a sword as they reattached to the hilt in his hand. In contrast to the movement all around him, the stranger himself was still, his face a mask of indifference that reminded Lan Xichen of his brother's own stoic facade. Lan Xichen found that he didn't believe for a moment that the stranger felt nothing, and he was compelled to offer his sincere thanks to him for arriving in time to save the disciples if nothing else.

“I don't know how you were able to destroy the Beasts of Slaughter, but you have my sincere thanks.” Lan Xichen said to the stranger.

“Your thanks are not necessary, I have a mission to purify these hollows and collect their souls, allowing innocents to be harmed is contrary to that mission.”

The stranger's language was oddly pronounced, several words sounded wrong and yet Lan Xichen understood their meaning. It was as though he spoke a foreign tongue, and Lan Xichen wondered at the first words spoken when his sword had taken on that incredible other form, they had sounded similarly foreign as the Beast's own language. Then the words caught up to him.

“What are Hollows?” Lan Xichen asked, worried about the idea of collecting souls.

“Those masked souls are known as Hollows, though I have seen you do not have your own Hollows in this world.” The stranger explained, not coming any closer.

Lan Xichen stepped through the crowd of disciples around him and toward the stranger, keeping the children safely behind him. Raising his arms and clasping his hands, Lan Xichen bowed to the stranger and expressed his gratitude, regardless of what else might be happening here the stranger had saved the children.

“I am Lan Xichen, leader of the GusuLan Sect. I thank you for quelling the threat of the Beasts of Slaughter before they could harm my disciples.” As he spoke, the stranger observed him more contemplatively as he took in Lan Xichen's words.

Then the stranger bowed in an unfamiliar way, bending forward at the waist to a degree but leaving his arms at his sides. “I am Kuchiki Byakuya, head of the Kuchiki Clan and captain of the sixth division of the Court Guard.”

Lan Xichen didn't know what the Court Guard was, nor had he ever heard of a Kuchiki Clan, but apparently they seemed comparative in rank and that was easily acknowledged. Suddenly a rustling in the trees made Lan Xichen and his disciples tense, but out of the darkness a black clothed boy about the age of his disciples came tumbling with a large wood and metal cage on his back. He stumbled, and when his back came into view Lan Xichen noticed that the cage was full of the same black butterflies that they had seen earlier.

< < Kuchiki-taicho! I've collected all of the Jigokuchō! > > The boy spoke excitedly, with eyes only for Byakuya Kuchiki as he stumbled to a halt at the man's side.

< < Very Good, Rikichi >> Kuchiki Byakuya spoke briefly to the youngster and then turned back to them.

“This is Yuki Rikichi, my subordinate.” He explained.

The sight of a youngster with the clan leader was soothing to Lan Xichen's still frayed nerves. The cheerful young man made it harder to believe that Kuchiki Byakuya might mean them harm.

“You seem to know quite a lot about the Beasts of Slaughter, or at least how to exorcise them. I wonder if you could share your knowledge with my sect?” Lan Xichen requested, knowing that this may be the breakthrough that they needed to finally find the means of protecting themselves and their world from the Beasts.

“I suppose a brief overview would be acceptable.” Kuchiki Byakuya replied with a frown while his disciple bounced on his heels beside him.

Lan Xichen watched as the strange man looked again at the amulet in his hand and then tucked it away again. This was a wonderful turn of events, with the information that the man could share, perhaps Wei Wuxian and his several theories and inventions could finally lead to a solution.

“The sect isn't far, we're not too many li from Gusu, we can be there in an less than an hour.” Lan Xichen suggested, and when Kuchiki Byakuya nodded in agreement he turned and gathered his disciples with a small encouraging smile.

The walk was much less nerve wracking with the strangers among them, and Lan Xichen was amused to overhear Kuchiki Byakuya attempting to teach Yuki Rikichi their language. The boy's stumbling attempts at Chinese caught the Lan disciples attention as well and they all began chiming in and trying to help the boy work out what he was trying to say. The foreign boy seemed to get along well with his disciples despite the language barrier and everyone seemed comfortable again, instead of the fearful boys Lan Xichen had nearly lost in the woods.

Good company and the adaptability of children allowed them to overcome their fear from the disastrous night hunt. As the children got to know one another Lan Xichen found himself walking with Kuchiki Byakuya, the quiet was peaceful and easy to fall into but Lan Xichen wondered about the strangers.

“Where is it you have come from? I must admit that I have never heard of a Kuchiki Clan, not that I doubt your word of course.” He inquired pleasantly.

“That is perhaps a part of the story that you would rather have told to whoever you are taking us to meet with.” Kuchiki Byakuya said with a raised eyebrow, face only turning a fraction to see him better.

“I see. Your disciple is doing well in learning the language.” Lan Xichen tried again, amazed by the stranger's decorum, so few outside of the Lan Clan showed such poise.

“We were not expecting to find ourselves in another country, fortunately the noble clans have had dealings with the Chinese in the past and have passed down the language. Rikichi however has had no such education.” Kuchiki Byakuya offered only, still his origins were a mystery.

Lan Xichen smiled to himself, amused by the way that Kuchiki Byakuya avoided sharing the details that Lan Xichen was so curious to know, without looking as though he was enjoying keeping his secrets. Lan Xichen knew the trick, stoics had to get their amusement somehow, he would be surprised if Kuchiki Byakuya wasn't enjoying their conversation at least a little. He would have moved away if he truly wanted to escape Lan Xichen's questions.

Lan Xichen was impatient to hear more about the Beasts of Slaughter, for the use that the information could be for his people, but he was also eager to learn more about Kuchiki Byakuya and the place he had come from, though he wasn't exactly sure why curiosity was stirring so strongly within him.

The li fell away quickly, and soon enough the newly erected gates of Gusu appeared before them out of the darkness, the great wall encircling the city stretching far to either side. Their approach was noticed right away and a Lan sect cultivator greeted them with a hint of worry.

“Sect Leader? You are arriving back early.”

“There were several Beasts of Slaughter in the woods.” Lan Xichen explained to Lan Jing's widened eyes.

“Is everyone alright?” Lan Jing asked as he surreptitiously peered over the disciples gathered behind Lan Xichen.

“Yes, thankfully everything worked out for us. We will be returning to the Cloud Recesses however.” Lan Xichen said as the disciples gratefully passed back into the protected city and out of the dangerously open and unwarded spaces of the woods.

“Ah, Lan Xichen... These strangers-” Lan Jing inquired suddenly as Kuchiki Byakuya and Yuki Rikichi followed them into the city.

“These wandering cultivators aided us against the Beasts, they are welcome in the Cloud Recesses.” Lan Xichen insisted without room for question, despite the fact that there was no longer any such thing as wandering cultivators, there hadn't been for years.

With a modest smile for their guests, Lan Xichen led the way toward the Cloud Recesses, already planning out where to house their guests as well as planning who he would need to summon to the meeting with the strangers who were able to exorcise the Beasts of Slaughter. Finally, a ray of hope in the darkness, Lan Xichen was immeasurably grateful to Kuchiki Byakuya simply for that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chinese: feather [Yǔmáo=plumage, plume] bird [niǎo] scale [snake scale=Shé guïmó | snake scale.=shé chèng |serpentine=shé xíng] snakeskin [shé pí] snake [shé]  
> Japanese: feather [Hane=wing, plume] bird [tori] scale [kibo] snakeskin [skin of a snake=Hebi no kawa] snake [Hebi] serpentine [Dakō]
> 
> feather scale | Yǔmáo Shé Chèng – Yǔmáo Shé Pí | Hane [Kibo] – Hane Hebi no Kawa  
> scale feather | Shé Chèng Yǔmáo – Shé Pí Yǔmáo | [Kibo] Hane – Hebi no Kawa Hane  
> bird scale | Niǎo Shé Chèng – Niǎo Shé Pí | Tori [Kibo] – Tori Hebi no Kawa  
> feather snake | Yǔmáo Shé | Hane Hebi  
> snake feather | Shé Yǔmáo | Hebi Hane  
> serpentine bird | Shé Xíng Niǎo | Dakō Tori
> 
> OC's:  
> Lan Bai = Bai meaning “white, pure”  
> Lan Chang = Chang meaning “flourish, prosper, good, sunlight”  
> Lan Jing = Jing meaning “quiet, still, gentle”  
> Lan Zhi = Zhi meaning “wisdom, intellect”
> 
> just to be clear, the thing/amulet Byakuya keeps checking is a soul pager. Yay future technology that Lan Xichen doesn't recognize.
> 
> And about chapter 3, I haven't made much progress. I'm also trying to write a ten~ish chapter story for ShiroIchi week, and now apparently there's going to be a ShinIchi Halloween event too, so I don't expect to work on chapter 3 at all this month, and I'm going to take a break from posting anything at all in December, so chapter 3 will be at least 2021 sometime, sorry.


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